


Present Perfect

by ungoodpirate



Series: Shameless Femslash Week [6]
Category: Shameless (US)
Genre: Day 7- Future, Gen, Shameless Femslash week
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-09-17
Updated: 2014-09-17
Packaged: 2018-02-17 17:10:21
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 627
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2317010
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ungoodpirate/pseuds/ungoodpirate
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>On Debbie's high school graduation, Fiona contemplates who she is when her kids grow up.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Present Perfect

“Hey…” Veronica nudges Fiona’s shoulder withthe edge of beer bottle. Fiona accepts the offering as Vee takes a seat on the stoop next to her.

Fiona rolls the bottle between her palms, the condensation wetting her skin, and then takes a long drink.

“Woah, pace yourself,” Veronica says as she sips from her own beer. She watches Fiona critically out of the corner of her eye.

“I know what you’re thinking,” Veronica says. “And you don’t got an empty nest yet.”

Fiona’s head jerks in Vee’s direction. “How do you know that I was –”

“Please,” Veronica says with a dismissive wave of her hand. “Every time the twins go through one of their coming of age moments…. First step, first word, first day of school. Christ” She pushes some braids behind her ear. “I always think they’re growing up too fast.”

Carl runs around their side of the house and grabs the garden hose lumped on the grass. It uncurls like a snake after him as he runs back around front.

“You still got him to get through high school,” Veronica says. “And Liam. Those two are a handful.”

“Tell me about it,” Fiona says as Debbie screeches in the front lawn, but she says it with a fond smile. “She’s going to college,” Fiona says of Debbie. “In California.”

Veronica pats her knee. “It means you did a good job.”

“She did a lot of it herself.” Fiona lifts her mostly empty bottle up like a toast to the setting sun and her only sister.

“You did a good job,” Veronica repeats again. Fiona doesn’t feel flawless, and she knows she’s fucked up plenty, and while Liam’s doing okay now, he and she are still coping with her night of negligence.

The sun casts orange light and long shadows. Fiona knows she should go back around font, join in the graduation festivities, enjoy the time she has left – a few months until Debbie moves and a few years for Carl and Liam to finish growing up…

“I don’t know what I’ll be without them,” Fiona says.

Veronica answers, “You’ll be Fiona.”

“I don’t know who that is.” Her whole life, her whole entire life, Fiona has taken care of her younger siblings, but then they move out and move on and they don ‘t need her anymore, not in the same way.

Veronica nudges Fiona’s side with her elbow. “Hey, I’ll let you help raise my kids if that makes you feel better.”

“You just want to me to babysit so you and Kev can have loud sex,” Fiona snarks back.

“Of course,” Veronica replies with a smirk. She stands, stretches her arms over her head. “Come on, if you spend too much time out here moping about what will eventually be, you’re going to miss what currently is... I shouldn’t have to be telling you to live in the moment.”

Fiona follows Veronica around front, where all her kids, plus Kev and the twins, and the Milkoviches who had latched onto her family, were all soaking wet. Lip has control of the garden hose and is spraying down Carl in what seemed like a well sanctioned revenge.

Carl grabs at the hose, grappling at it with enough at his strength to divert it, accidently, right where Veronica and Fiona were standing, the only dry ones left.

Veronica wipes the water from her eyes. “They’re might be some benefits to an empty nest,” she says, as Debbie joins the fight for the hose.

Fiona smiles wildly. “This is the best part.”  She runs straight in the scramble, reaching under one of Lip’s arms and over Debbie’s shoulder. “I’m the oldest!” she declares, “I claim the hose.”

None of them give up the fight, and it’s perfect.


End file.
